Canal boat holidays

I am planning a short holiday in the English countryside and want to rent a canal boat and spend 4-5 days cruising around. Can anyone tell me where i should start from and end up? Where is the place to rent these boats? And, is it possible to do it in May or too cold still?

Comments

England has dozens of canals, so its difficult to advise on the best ones. Have a look at www.canalholidays.com - this site shows most canal routes. The narrowboats that are ply the canals are comfortable with kitchens, beds, heating and showers and are available for hire across England. They can sleep from 2 to 12 people. A canal boat holiday lets you experience the English countryside and a very gentle sedate pace, you will go through the old locks to go up or down hills and may even cruise through tunnels and cross aqueducts over valleys.

Would you kindly comment on canal boat holidays in Ireland please. Am considering a short holiday in June/July. It seems a brilliant way to experience the countryside but can one also fit in sight-seeing sites of significance along the ways? Is there one "do not miss" route that you can recommend?

In the UK, the Norfolk Broads are great to cruise around as they're not canals and have no locks, you can just moor up outside a pub for the evening, there's great scenery and you can stop in Yarmouth and Norwich for some nightlife.

For Ireland, try the river Shannon, (west ireland) Lovely scenery, lots of wildlife, popular for fishing and some great towns along the way.